Roman POV:I groaned, and Julian looked up from his place on one of the chairs in my bedroom, his hand poised over a file ready to sign. “What is it now?” he said calmly, dropping the pen in the file, staring at me. “I already said I won't help you to take a leak in the bathroom.” I cursed at him, then turned to the ceiling. “Why would Audrey lie to me, Julian? I've proven to her many times that she can rely on me. I’ve shown her many times that I adore her with all of me.”He picked his pen again. “I'm not going to be that guy.”“Oh, come on,” I snapped, flinching at the sharp pain that shot through my neck. “Say your mind. I'm losing mine here.” “I plead for the right to be excused from this conversation.”“Julian,” I growled, and heard him sigh. “Speak, would you?” I really needed an external opinion, because no matter how I tried to look at it, the only explanation for her hiding her reasons for being so late was that she'd done something wrong. The next thing would be to ask
Audrey POV:Roman's hand stroked my breast, and I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of his skin on mine. He'd clung onto me as soon as I climbed into his bed, and his hands had roamed everywhere, his mouth following. And despite his protests, I'd given him the blowjob he'd asked for. We'd collapsed hours later after venting our sexual frustrations, though we still hadn't fucked. It'd become dark outside, but neither of us had stepped out of the room. Instead, our meals were brought for us, and as soon as we finished eating, we returned to the bed. Our bodies were tangled together, and his lips were pressed against my forehead, leaving me with a warm feeling inside.“You're beautiful, you know that?” he said. “And I'm not just saying this because that amazing tongue of yours just finished swirling around my cock.”I blushed. “Stop it,” I said jokingly. But we both heard that embarrassment in my tone. “You saying that makes me think you said it precisely because of that.”He sighed
Roman POV:“You’re glowing,” was the first thing Julian said when he saw me in my office.I’d awoken with a slumbering Audrey by my side, and I’d woken her up with my tongue between her thighs. She’d orgasmed awake, and I could still hear her cries of pleasure as her thighs clenched around my neck. Blood rushed to my nether regions and I sighed.“You can't ever be surprised, can you?” I said, sending a fake glare his way. I'd rushed down to the office and gotten in way earlier than was the usual time, but he hadn't so much as flinched when he laid his eyes on me. If anything, he looked more stoic than ever. “The guards told you were here,” he confessed, and a smirk shone on his face. “Got thoroughly fucked last night, didn't you?” “Shut up.” He chuckled lightly and sat on the couch, pulling put some files. “I dropped the signed documents yesterday like I'd told you.”“Yeah, I saw them already. Thanks.”He nodded and held out a document. “But this is the second most important thing
Roman POV:“What the hell, Kim? You did that?” Julian's face turned deadly when he heard the name I just called, while Jacob's showed a bit of recognition. Edward laughed in my ear again, and I clenched the phone with more force than before. The thought of the Crimson Wolves being responsible for such a gory act crossed my mind, but I hadn't wanted to believe it, so I didn't dwell on it for so long. However, what Edward Kim said confirmed my tossed aside suspicion. The organization was heavily involved, and I had no idea why. “You killed Kennedy. Why the hell would you kill Kennedy?!” “I would never soil my hands like that, so no,” Edward said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “It was one of my men, and the entire operation was ordered by my boss. Do you like it, Blackburn?”“Are you fucking kidding me?” I responded, my voice raised. “You killed one of my subjects and you're asking if I like it? Are you finally out of your godforsaken mind, Kim?”“To your first question, no. To the
Audrey POV:The moment I saw the words appear in the sky, my first thought was Roman. Eva had told about some dangerous people who had begun to find out about his situation, and who were very eager to exploit it. Fear clouded my senses and I jumped out of bed then fled to the parlot, just for a bad feeling to pool in my gut. He wasn’t around. He must have left for work. My heart thumped, and I ran towards the door, almost colliding with Paul who appeared out of nowhere.“Miss Audrey!” he yelled, gripping my arms as soon as he was close to me. “Miss Audrey, are you alright?!” “Where's Roman?” I cried. “Where is he?!”He had a concerned look on his face. “The Alpha? He should be in his office at the pack house. But that's not a problem. He's alright, I'm sure. He can handle himself. Miss Audrey, you have to return to your room for now, till everything is settled, please.”“W-what was that writing in the sky?” His face tightened. “I can't say, Miss. But my job is to protect you.
Audrey POV:I sat quietly, hoping that the quivering in my body wasn't obvious, while the old man lowered himself into the chair opposite mine and smiled at me. I don't know if he thought it was or wanted it to be a fatherly smile, because all it did was scare the shit out of me. Paul stood a few paces behind us, his face dark and his gaze fixed on the man, as though he was expecting him to spring from his chair at any time. To anyone watching, it would seem like just two adults talking, but what I saw were three animals: one lion, one tiger, and one puppy. A female puppy. With her tail between her hind legs. “Well, Miss Audrey Hill,” Kim began. “I want to assume you have no idea who the Crimson Wolves are, so I'm going to begin our chat from there.”I heard a low growl from Paul, but he kept mute with a warning sign from me as Kim spoke again. “The Crimson Wolves is a group of loyal wolves whose sole aim in life is to spill blood. In a more basic statement, the Crimson Wolves are
Roman POV:It felt like something had been ripped out of me, and my head immediately snapped up to the Alpha's quarters, a short distance away.“Audrey,” I whispered. Julian snarled in my mind, bringing me back to reality. “This is no time to be fantasizing about your mate, Roman. We have a serious problem here.”We did. As soon as the words in the air dissipated, some stupid elder had called for an emergency meeting. Thus, I was seated at the head of the table, while the elders went back and forth over the current matters on ground- namely, Kennedy’s death. “Who's next?” Graham Wilbur said, his voice gruff as he slammed on the table. “Who will these people take next, huh, Alpha? They've killed so many of our people, yet nothing is being done to deal with them!” Julian tensed beside me. Only he knew what was really going down. Jacob had been sent to the pack square along with the Epsilon of each family to try and pacify the people. I took in a deep breath, ready to speak, just t
Audrey POV:I gasped as I fell onto a meadow, the smell of grass hitting me almost immediately, like a hard slap instead of a soft caress. Unlike my terrible fall, Edward Kim lowered himself to the ground quietly, then gave me a look, as if saying ‘That's how you do it.’ I glared at him. I wasn't a magic user, for Luna's sake. “Where are we?” “Romania.” “Oh, Romania.” I nodded vaguely at first, but then the knowledge of the name struck me again. “Romania?!” He sent an annoyed look my way. “Yes, Miss Audrey. Romania. Have you never heard of it?”“Romania is thousands of miles away from the United States!” I shrieked. “How's it possible that we're in- all of this happened in less than five seconds?!”He bristled, very annoyed by the look of things. “That's why we went through a portal, girl. Have you any brain in that skull of yours?”I blushed in embarrassment and slight anger. He'd stopped being courteous to me as soon as we came through the portal. My guess was that since he’d go
Roman POV:“You did quite well,” Julian said to me while I watched Jacob supervise the cleaning of the conference room. It'd been about fifteen minutes since the meeting ended, and a part of me had reveled in the fear the elders had in their eyes whenever they crossed the body of their dead comrade. “You really didn't have to kill anyone though.”“They are infuriating,” I said emotionlessly as the cleaners began their job. “It was high time they learned that I wasn't just the old Alpha's son. I am the Alpha.” My best friend gave me a look. “I hope that doesn't mean you plan to resort to the harsh ways of your father.”“Never,” I grunted. “But I'll have to place some respect in these elders’ hearts. They need to be reminded of their position before me.” My Beta merely passed a breath through his mouth. “If you say so, Roman. I just really hope you're not using your anger with your mate's disappearance to cloud your greater sense of judgment.” “Audrey's disappearance has nothing to
Audrey POV:I gawked as Sam opened a portal the moment I accepted his hand. He grinned at me while the magic door pulsated with energy, and placed a leg into it. “Come on, young lady.”I hesitated, suddenly feeling very unsure and stupid. The moment he extended his hand, I'd snatched it without thinking. As soon as he opened the portal, it hit me. Just who exactly was I about to follow through a portal that only he knew that location it led to? Sure, he'd claimed to have known my father, but almost everyone knew my father then. Not only did I not know his true intentions, but he'd been part of the men that watched my humiliation. He cocked his head to the side when he saw my hesitation. “What's the matter?” “I don't know you. You might want to kill me,” I blurted, turning red when he began to laugh. “That's what you’re bothered about, darling?” he chuckled. “I just saved you from getting raped and potentially mauled by that piece of scum.” He stepped forward. “You really think you
Roman POV:“This is preposterous!” I glared at the elder who'd just spoken, and he wisely kept his mouth shut immediately. Lucky for him. I would have slit his throat if he made one more sound. I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be out saving Audrey. I was supposed to have gotten her into my arms, and rescued her from whatever hellhole Edward Kim had put her in. “I apologize for speaking out of turn, Alpha,” the elder who'd just interrupted my speech said, fear shining in his eyes. “I was just…I'm laden with emotion at how much torment this pack has fallen into.”I schooled my features into blankness. “Thank you so much for your concern, Logan, but you haven't even been around to know how much torment we are in right now.” He reddened and turned away, knowing what I'd said was true. Just like Diane Hill, he'd disappeared for a while, but he'd returned a bit earlier than she had. A nasty thought about him dying just like Kennedy and Hill crossed my mind, but i waved it
Audrey POV:I was returned to the dark room when the men had had enough of me. The visiting Brothers were not returning to their homes, so I was to be a spectacle for them again the following day. In the meantime, Derek wanted me to ‘rest’, which essentially meant he didn't want me to die yet. Normally I would have willingly killed myself to escape his torture, but I had people’s lives tied to mine. I had no idea what Edward Kim would do if I committed suicide. That would be against the deal we made, right? So I kept quiet and let Derek do whatever he wanted till he finally ended my life. My body was bruised all over again from the beatings Derek had given me, and every time I laid against the cold wall or put too much pressure on the side of my body that rested on the hard ground, I cried out in pain. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry, but I knew the would cause unimaginable agony. And Derek's words at the beginning about him wanting to hear me cry out in pain haunted me, so I f
Audrey POV:“I still don't know what exactly to do for her sendforth into the great beyond,” my holding master laughed as I coughed out blood, feeling the life slowly draining out of me. I'd been presented on a makeshift stage before some of the ‘Brothers’ that Derek had invited to watch my torture spectacle. They were surrounded by lots of food, and they chuckled at Derek's jokes while I writhed in pain. “Perhaps you should save her the torment of a prolonged death,” one of them said. “Just one swipe across her throat and you'll be done with it.”Derek seemed to consider the idea. “The issue now is, I don't want to do that. I don't want to be done with it so easily. She's still alive. Her eyes haven't lost their spark.” He bared his teeth playfully at me. “I need that spark to disappear first. Then I'll kill her.” Fear gripped me, and if my wrists weren't bound and my body hurting, I'd have attempted to slide away. “Any news from Kim?” another of the Brothers asked, spearing a pi
Tanya POV:“You did good,” Marvin said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “They didn't suspect a thing. I'm proud of you.” I didn't say a word, merely staring ahead, like I expected my mother to appear before me. The moment I heard the explosion, I'd sunk to my knees, crying out loud. Marvin had immediately gagged me again and held me close, being both good and evil at the same time. I'd leaned against him, too tired to decide what was right or fair and what wasn't. The following morning, I woke up cuffed to a chair, and he laid beside me, his eyes closed. However, the moment I shuffled, his eyes opened wide, and his gaze bored into mine. It was then I knew I wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he did to me. Not because I was afraid of him, but because I’d given myself to him. Mind, body and soul. For better, for worse, right? “Jacob is coming soon, so you'd better dress up.” His hand pressed on my shoulder. “And look very presentable.”I gave an almost imperceptible nod. Jacob had
Roman POV:“Hold on,” Julian said while I absentmindedly kicked a small rock along the road. “Your mother is…Ruby? Ruby is your mother? I don't understand.” It'd confused me too, but after I returned to my room, I found Ruby staring wide eyed at me. It hit me that she probably wasn't completely aware of what was happening with her. We were on our way to Marvin's apartment to pay a courtesy visit to Tanya regarding the destruction of the Hill residence. According to Julian, Diane Hill's body had still not been found, but the probability of her being burnt to ashes was much higher than the probability of her crawling out of the inferno. I didn't like the woman at all, but that didn't completely mean I wanted her gone. She was Tanya's backbone, from what I noticed when we together, and finding out about her mother's death must have been very hard for her. That's why I asked Julian to accompany me. “It really doesn't make any sense,” Julian was mumbling. “Did your mother go back in ti
Roman POV:“My son,” the woman before me said, a sad smile on her face. “My little boy.”I couldn't move, as my eyes roamed all over her face. She was the one, no doubt about it. Just as it had been in the portrait. But I couldn't go closer to her. It was as though each time I tried to move, something stopped me. “Am I dead?” I whispered, and she laughed. “No, you're not. You're in a different dimension, Roman.” The woman- no, not the woman- my mother smiled at me again, much brighter this time. “I had to bring you here so I could speak to you.” How was that possible? I voiced my thoughts, and Mother shrugged. “I…” she paused for a moment as if to think about her next thoughts. “This is going to be a very confusing discussion, but…let’s start with this. I’m a witch, Roman. Well, half-witch with a suppressed lycan side.” The silence in the room was frightening after that statement. I blinked once, twice, trying to wrap my head around her statement. She must have noticed the confus
Audrey POV:Derek came back a while later, a devilish grin on his face. “Hello, Princess.” I couldn't respond to him. I hadn't been given any food or water, and my wrists were bruising. I could feel the wounds that had been formed from the constant contact with the binding chain, and every slight movement was pain. He stood before me and surveyed my body, a gleam in his eyes. “Well, I'd say you look like shit, but you already know that.”The glare I gave him made him laugh, his shoulders jerking slightly. “Now, we're going to try something different. I'm going to take you off the wheel of death- get it?- and you're going to express your gratitude by sucking my dick. Is that understood?” My eyes widened, and he smiled even more broadly. “You heard me right, Sweetness. I'm very curious to see what Roman Blackburn has been enjoying. Because outwardly, there's only so much one can actually credit you for. I'll tell you though- your face isn't one of them. Your body, on the other hand…”